The Bachelor's Nick Viall on What Really Happened With Vanessa Grimaldi and Raven Gates During the Overnight Dates

And then there were two. Tonight on The BachelorNick Viall said goodbye to future BacheloretteRachel Lindsay, which leaves Raven Gates and Vanessa Grimaldi to vie for Nick's final rose. We've known for weeks that Rachel wasn't going to be the last woman standing, so tonight's ending shouldn't have been much of a surprise—and yet it was. No relationship is seamless, but it's obvious that Nick and Vanessa have a lot to figure out (namely, what country to live in). As for Raven, is she really ready to give up her business in Hoxie? I say "give up," because if you expect Nick to go from Bachelor fame to Dancing With the Stars to a low-key life in Hoxie…well, clearly you don't know him as well as I would hope.

But, speaking of the Bachelor, let's give him some credit: Whether it was encouraging Raven to open up about her sexual history or letting Rachel know that she's strongest when she's most vulnerable, Nick has been much more progressive when it comes to women than past Bachelors. He appreciates frank and honest talk about sex. He doesn't want any of the women to change who they are to "win" him over. And he's looking for someone who can match him in wit and conversation, not just looks or sex appeal. While I never would have suggested The Bachelor as a crash course in communication for couples, Nick's season has been must-see viewing for anyone who's needed guidance in that department.

So, after the "Women Tell All" taping, I sat down with Nick for our second one-on-one this season to discuss his relationships with Vanessa and Raven, why he sent Rachel home, and more. Read on.

Glamour: You are probably the most feminist Bachelor we've ever had. You encourage the women in a way we haven't seen before.

Nick Viall: Wow, thank you so much. That is an honor to have you say that. I was very lucky to be raised by a very strong woman, and I have strong sisters. I’ve always been attracted to those types of women. We live in a time where women should feel empowered; they have every right. I’ve always been attracted to women who show [that they can do anything].

Glamour: Let’s talk about Vanessa’s overnight date. She talked about her core values and things she wouldn’t compromise on, but the only core value we actually heard her talk about was her Sunday lunches with her family. So what are the other values she won’t compromise on?

NV: Um…you’ll have to watch to find out! That’s hard to answer that question.

Glamour: You said your relationship with Vanessa has the potential to have more conflict. Can this really work?

NV: Well, I have a big personality, and I’ve been attracted to women with big personalities. I think that is usually going to happen when you have big personalities. I could say the same about Raven and Rachel when we had those conversations, but they chose to show that between Vanessa and me. I kind of quite liked watching that back because, to me, I had those conversations with Raven and Rachel, [and it's] important to have them. You have to challenge. It’s all great to be like, "You’re great, we’re great, let’s all talk about the great things." But I think it speaks to the seriousness of the relationship that Vanessa and I had at the time and our willingness to make sure it was real.

Glamour: You said, "I’m a proud American! I don’t know if I see myself in Canada." That's a bold statement when you're considering getting engaged to a Canadian.

NV: I’m very progressive in a lot of ways, but I’m a very proud American. It sounds so corny to say, but I am and have always been very…I’m just so proud. I don’t ever not want to live in America. And Canada is great! I love Canada. A lot of great things in Canada. But…

Glamour: Would you move to Montreal if you were to end up with Vanessa?

NV: I would do anything for love. [Pauses.] But I want to live in America. [Laughs]

Glamour: OK, let’s move on to Raven. She made the comment that she’s never had an orgasm with a guy, but that’s not the first time we’ve heard it on the Bachelor franchise. Trista Rehn [her maiden name at the time] said the same thing.

NV: Did she?

Glamour: Yes, Raven was not the first one, but I was glad she said it. These are conversations that women need to have with whomever they are going to be intimate with and have a relationship.

NV: A lot of not-so-great things came from my conversation with Andi at After the Final Rose [during her season when I admitted we had sex], but the show has changed since then. The show is more willing to acknowledge the fact that sex is part of a relationship and that it can and has happened as a part of this journey. I don’t think it should be the focal point; I think there’s a lot of important things that go into fantasy suite week other than the physical aspect. So [while] I don’t think it should be overstated either, I think it’s great that you see this kind of dilemma—not only with Raven about her nervousness, but me as the Bachelor and how do I approach this? [I say that] in terms of being respectful to the relationships but trying to explore all these relationships and figure out who I could see myself getting engaged to. As a viewer, I’m glad that the show is willing to take those risks. It seems more authentic and real to me.

Glamour: I liked how you responded to Raven’s concerns. You were genuine and supportive.

NV: I didn’t want to make it too much of a big deal. I didn’t want to be like, "Oh my God!" It was like, "OK, that’s fine." I appreciated her willingness to be bold enough to address that. There is the physical aspect, but there are a lot of things I looked forward to doing with Raven in terms of communicating with her that were also a priority of mine.

Glamour: Last thing on Raven: We know your biggest relationship obstacle with Vanessa, but what is your biggest obstacle with Raven?

NV: I think a lot of the same. She’s a big personality too, and I think a relationship with Raven would have its challenges as well. Raven is a bit younger than Vanessa, but at the same time she’s mature for her age. Her love experience was limited in that she’s only been in one relationship. Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean she can’t have a successful relationship with her next one, but sometimes that can be a good or bad thing. Sometimes a lack of perspective can bring its challenges relative to someone who has a little bit more.

Glamour: We really didn’t see you give viewers a reason for why you said goodbye to Rachel.

NV: So for me with Rachel, I didn’t have a reason to send her home. It was about the other women. I think in another world where I’m not the Bachelor, who knows what could have happened with Rachel and I? But it was The Bachelor, there were two other women, and there were two other women that I felt stronger about.